Matthew 6:19 (DBY)

Passage

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust spoils, and where thieves dig through and steal;

Nearby Context

Matthew 6:17 But *thou*, [when] fasting, anoint thy head and wash thy face,

Matthew 6:18 so that thou mayest not appear fasting unto men, but to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who sees in secret shall render [it] to thee.

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust spoils, and where thieves dig through and steal;

Matthew 6:20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust spoils, and where thieves do not dig through nor steal;

Matthew 6:21 for where thy treasure is, there will be also thy heart.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "yourselves", "treasures", "upon", "earth", "where", "moth", "rust", and "spoils". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "yourselves" and "treasures", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "so that thou mayest not appear fasting..." into verse 20's "but lay up for yourselves treasures in...", so "yourselves" and "treasures" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "yourselves" and "treasures" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.